The Return
by Shatteredv3
Summary: Seven years has passed since Harry Potter took the Dark Lord beyond the veil and never came back. The wizarding world is at peace, but what happens when Cho Chang, an Auror, meets a mysterious stranger who knows more about her than he should? PostWar.
1. Chapter 1

A.N. : As hard as it is to admit... this ship has sunk. But alas, that won't stop me from writing a fanfic about it.

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At dawn, in a rainforest somewhere in Africa, a young woman bursts out running from a clutter of trees. At first glace, you may think that she's running away from someone, but you'd be wrong. Dead wrong. Dressed in black robes, hair tied back, with a slender frame standing at barely 5'5, she may not look intimidating to most.

But the man she was chasing knew better. For you see, she was Cho Chang, one of the best Aurors at the Ministry. There weren't many who could out duel her, at least not many who had survived the Second War.

The Second War… many brilliant witches and wizards lost their lives to the might of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort, a name that not many had dared to speak, was now simply a part of history. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, had defeated him. Nobody knew exactly what happened, but as for the outcomes, it was clear. Harry had somehow dragged himself and Voldemort across the veil… Neither of them has been seen ever since. Many waited outside the veil, waiting for Harry to come back, but after a while, they all gave up. After all, not even the Chosen One can come back from the dead.

The war ended, the remaining Death Eaters were either captured or killed. Only one had eluded the eyes of the Ministry… Snape. Severus Snape. The man who had been Voldemort's right hand, the man who had killed Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest sorcerers of his time. He was now the most wanted man alive, although he has not been spotted since Voldemort's fall.

People moved on with their lives, no longer living in fear. Some felt that they became relaxed, too relaxed. After all, as long as there is good, there will always be evil. Cho Chang was one of those people. She entered the Auror training program, which is not as impressive as it once was, considering they accepted anyone who wanted in. But who's to blame them, when nearly all Aurors had been killed? Cho soon became one of the best Aurors in the Ministry.

Today was just another day of work for her. She was chasing down a wizard who had attempted to rob Gringotts. His dueling skills were sub par at best, but he was quite elusive. Cho has been on his trail for a week now, and she has not even seen his face. Of course this did not stop her from knowing exactly where he was.

She continued to run after him, in the direction where she had heard footsteps. The sound was starting to get fainter… Suddenly, she heard muttering, saw a flash of red light, and then heard nothing. Something was wrong, Cho could sense it. The light had to have been a Stunning Spell, but if he had aimed it at her and missed, why did he not cast the same spell again or continue running?

Realization quickly dawned on Cho Chang. It was a trap… How did it take her fifteen whole seconds to figure it out? He obviously wanted her to think that he thought he had gotten her... Luring her into a false sense of security, and then quickly disposing of her when she was off-guard. Maybe it would've worked on some other Auror, but not Cho Chang. She realized however, that if she were to send Stunners in the direction of the where she had seen the red light, it would be indirectly giving away her position. No rookie-mistake for Cho Chang, not today…

The solution was simple. Cho quickly put on her invisibility cloak and crept over, expecting to see him crouching down with his wand ready to curse her. What she didn't expect to see was two men.

Any other Auror would've slipped up and let out a sound, but Cho was no ordinary Auror. She quickly surveyed the situation before her. A short skinny looking man with brown hair was lying passed-out on the floor, obviously having been stunned by the other man. Tall blonde, handsome, and with a look of unmistakable joy on his face. He wore battered old black robes that looked like they've hardly been washed for years. It was blindly obvious that neither of these men belonged in this forest. But who were they? Which one was the man she has been chasing? And where did the other one come from? It seems her questions would soon be answered, as the blonde one stepped on the other one's stomach, pointed his wand at him, and muttered a spell. The man on the ground awakes…

"So who the hell are you?" the standing one says, as he quickly presses his foot harder against his victim's stomach. He was attempting to intimidate the other man.

Having just awoken and looking quite dazzled, he shouts, "None of your business… Get your filthy foot off of me and let me go!"

"You don't seem to comprehend the fact that you would be dead right now, if it weren't for the fact that I'm a little bored." He glances up, looking directly at Cho. Or rather directly at the tree behind her, of course, for she was still invisible…

"If you don't let me go soon, that Auror will catch the both of us, and then we'll be in Azkaban!" The man on the ground starting smirking, thinking he would soon be let go. Clearly, he had mistaken his captor for simply another fugitive.

"Auror, eh? Well that explains the pretty witch in the invisibility cloak…"

Before Cho could even wonder why the blonde man was able see her, she had already found herself throwing off her invisibility cloak and pointing her wand at him. But he did nothing; he did not even move. All he did was look, or rather, stare at her. He started to squint his eyes as if he was trying to recall a distant memory of some sort. It was only then that Cho noticed his rather familiar emerald green eyes…

Finally, after a few minutes of total silence, a look of realization dawned upon his face, as he smiled.

"Almost didn't recognize you… Heh", he said.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Cho quickly replied, ignoring the fact that the man has apparently met her before.

" 'Who are you and what are you doing here?' Standard Auror question, isn't it? I remember reading that somewhere. But then again, isn't it also a standard Auror procedure to disarm an enemy before asking any questions?" He was now smiling, as he twiddled his wand between his fingers.

He was right, and Cho had been asking herself that same question during those minutes of silence before. Why didn't she immediately disarm him? She had no need to when she thought she was invisible, but upon learning that he could see her, Cho normally would've disarmed him right away. But she didn't… There was something about this man, Cho realized. He seemed familiar, somehow, and it was almost as if she could almost sense that he would not harm her. She was right to assume this, it seemed, as he has kept his wand on the other man the whole time, even when she threw off her cloak and pointed her wand at him.

"Who are you to tell me what to do? Besides, isn't it a standard procedure, for a criminal like you, to run away from, not taunt, Aurors?" She replies, not letting on the fact that she almost trusted him. It was very unbecoming of an Auror to trust a stranger, even one who seems to know them. Besides, she was an Auror, one of the best, and she was not about to let this man tell her how to act like one.

"Oh come on Cho, I just helped you capture a criminal and you assume I am one myself?" He quickly replies, and then looks down at the criminal. The criminal frowned upon learning that the man knows the Auror, and became rather disappointed by the fact this man was not about to let him go. He had been eagerly waiting for the man to start dueling with the Auror for his chance to escape, but it had not come yet…

"I repeat… Who are you and what are you doing here?" Cho tried to sound intimidating, but somehow, her voice had failed to do so. She began to wonder how this man knew her. Cho searched her memory, but nothing came up. The only obnoxious blonde boy she ever knew was that Slytherin seeker, but he's been dead for a while now.

"Ferocious, yet cute, but always straight to the point. I have always liked that about you." Still, he was smiling, almost as if this were simply a game to him. He was not afraid at all. It was as if he knew for a fact that Cho would not, or perhaps, would not, hurt him.

As much as Cho wanted to deny, she knew he was right. Cho was almost always like that. Every time she tries to be angry, something inside of her always stops her from going all the way. It was a rather annoying habit Cho had developed. It all started in her fourth year at Hogwarts. It was one of her first matches as the Ravenclaw seeker, and she would be going up against Harry Potter and his new Firebolt. The only way she could win was by flying into Harry's path every now and then. He would always stop and try to suppress a smile from coming to his face, and continue flying in a different direction. Any other seeker would've just flown straight at Cho, knowing she'd get out of the way before they would collide.

Actually, Harry's captain, Oliver Wood, had ordered him to do just that. But Harry, he had refused, afraid that he would hurt her. He was so naïve, that it was almost cute. Cho couldn't help but smile to herself every time he stopped. Even in a fierce game of Quidditch where it seemed as though everything was at stake, Cho and Harry still found it in themselves to smile. That was perhaps how she developed this 'ferocious, yet cute' attitude the blonde man was now referencing.

"Yes I am, but you still haven't answered my question."

"That is not important. The only thing that matters is that I am not your enemy. I've helped you capture your criminal. Now leave me and my forest in peace." Playtime was over. It was nice to see another human being again after so long a period of isolation, but he could not afford further interaction with her. If she found out who he was, his whole way of life would be turned upside down. It was time to go, he decided. He took his foot off the criminal, as if he was about to walk away.

"I'm s-… Answer my question!" Cho quickly straightened her arm and tightened her grip on her wand. Cho had started to apologize for intruding when she remembered who she and what she was doing. She was Cho Chang, an Auror, and she was not going to apologize to a potentially dangerous criminal. Too many people have become relaxed during this peacetime. She could not afford to be another one of those people. As long as there is good, there is evil. She would not let her guard down, no matter what!

She's not giving up, the man quickly realizes. Perhaps he would have to make her leave by force then.

"Sorry…" He grins broadly before quickly apparating away.

Cho quickly realized why he had apologized. The criminal had run away right after he had apparated. Without wasting any more time, Cho ran after him. It was not long before Cho saw his back and stunned him. While she had rest during her conversation with the blonde man, the criminal, who had already been weakened from being stunned and then reawakened again, had had his stomach pressed in by the blonde man's foot. It was as if the blonde man knew he might've had to let the criminal go sooner or later, so he weakened the criminal, making it easier for Cho to catch him.

On Cho's index finger on her left hand was a silver ring. At first glance, it was a rather plain ring, nothing special about it. Upon closer inspection you would see a lightning bolt craved into the center of the ring. Cho tapped the lightning bolt with her wand and three wizards quickly apparated to her at once. They were all wearing black robes like Cho's, and all of them had a similar silver ring.

"Ah, I see you've caught him…" A rather scrawny looking man with black hair observed. His name was Neville Longbottom. Seven years ago nobody would've believed it if you told them Neville would become an Auror. He had planned on become a Herbologist, but upon hearing that the Ministry needed more Aurors, his Gran had convinced him to become an Auror.

"Ah drat! I was hoping for a fight…" Always eager for a fight, it was almost as if peacetime was unsuitable for her, was Ginny Weasley. She had hardly changed, except perhaps, grown taller over the years. After Voldemort's downfall, Ginny quickly joined the Auror training program. Some had speculated that Ginny fought Dark Wizards, hoping that one would lead her to Harry Potter again. She refused to believe he was dead. In fact, she was the last one to leave the room with the veil, when all was gathered awaiting his return. Even then, she only left when her mother forced her to.

"Look's like we're doing escort service again… Joy." Ron Weasley sarcastically commented. Ginny's brother and the man who had been Harry's best friend, Ron accepted his friend's death. However that did not stop him from becoming an Auror to look over his little sister.

"Why did the Ministry send three of you? I only need one person to help me fly this man to Azkaban." Cho was rather surprised that the Ministry had sent so many Aurors to assist her. Surely, they did not think she was in trouble? This man was simply a theft. One who had failed, what was there to fear? When she touched the signet on her ring with her wand, she had only expected one Auror to come, as that was what usually happened.

Cho actually had hoped that her friend Marietta would come. Marietta was Cho's closest friend, and also another Auror. Cho had wanted to tell Marietta about the mysterious blonde stranger. Marietta was the only one Cho could trust with the fact that she let a stranger assist her, and then get away. Indeed, Cho and Marietta's loyalty to one another was almost unreasonable. Cho felt obliged to do so, for during her sixth year, after Cedric's death, Cho became almost unbearable to most of her friends. Marietta was the only who stood by her side.

"Who was the last man who tried to break into Gringotts?" Ron answered her question with a question of his own.

"Quirrell…" Cho stopped as she realized why Ron had asked her that. Quirrell had attempted to break into Gringotts in order to steal the Sorcerer's Stone and revive Voldemort. "Heh. That's rather foolish of them. Surely they did not think this man was attempting the same thing?"

"You know my father… Always trying to keep the public happy. If we let this man get away, then there would be rumors. Apparently, 'the Ministry cannot afford rumors of the Dark Lord's return'…" Ginny seemed to disagree with her father's worries. Arthur Weasley had replaced Rufus Scrimgeour as Minister of Magic, after Voldemort murdered him. Arthur was not a capable Minister during the Second War, but during these times of peace, he was quite adept at keeping the public happy and unafraid.

"Well… Shall we get going then?" Neville was always trying to follow the rules. He only suggested this because Aurors weren't supposed to stand around and chat while giving their suspect a chance to escape. A more experienced Auror like Cho or Ron would realize that the man was stunned and had literally no means of escape.

"Alright let's go…" Cho replied, not wanting Neville's enthusiasm at following the rules to go unheard. Besides, Cho wanted to talk to Marietta…

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A.N. : My first story, so, make sure to review. Also, how obvious is it as to who the "mysterious blonde stranger" is? 


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. : A big shout-out to all my reviewers. I was worried when I started this fic that there wouldn't be a lot of interest, since most people seem to hate Cho now... But you've all shown me otherwise. So on with chapter 2.

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After the four Aurors had decided that it was time to go, Ron pulled four broomsticks out of a pouch that looked like it could scarcely fit his hand. They were all Firebolts, brooms that had once been the top in the world. Although once coveted and treasured by children and Quidditch players alike, they were soon replaced by better and faster brooms. Now, Firebolts were common brooms that were considered below-standards for Quidditch, but as for traveling, they were still quite useful.

The journey back was uneventful for Cho. The alleged criminal, still stunned, was tied up and holstered between Neville's and Ron's brooms. Cho and Ginny constantly circled them, ensuring that nobody would attack them. This was a bit unnecessary but after all, procedures were procedures.

While the other three chatted about trivial matters, Cho remained silent and let her mind wander to other things. It was quite difficult for her to not feel alienated by the others. But it was to be expected… They were all friends during Hogwarts, and she, she was almost a stranger to them. It didn't help that Ginny did not seem to be very fond of Cho. Sure, she acted friendly enough when the situation called for it, but otherwise Ginny preferred to act as if Cho did not exist. Cho was not used to this, for she was charming and well-liked by many, but she tried not to let it get to her.

Often Cho would wonder why Ginny acted like that, but the answer was obvious… Harry Potter. It was rather foolish, Cho thought to herself. It was difficult to determine whether or not Cho even had a relationship with Harry. Well, whatever it was, it didn't even last very long. Harry and Cho, they had let other priorities get in their way, and it ended in a disaster. And after graduating from Hogwarts, Cho never even saw Harry again. Still, it seemed that Ginny felt a bit uncomfortable around Cho. Perhaps it was her own little way of keep him alive, by being jealous of Cho.

Cho sighed to herself, as she began to wonder why Ginny Weasley should even matter to her. She was just another Auror, and besides, Cho scarcely had to see or even interact with her. It's foolish of me, really, Cho thought to herself. It's not like they were still back at Hogwarts. They were full-grown witches now and not just any witches, they were Aurors. Why was Cho letting Ginny's hostility towards her, due to a boy who was long dead, get to her? Ginny should realize that, in the end, Harry had chosen her…

Finally, they arrived at the Ministry. After exchanging casual goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways. Cho and Ginny returned to their respective offices, while Ron and Neville escorted the criminal to Arthur Weasley for interrogation.

To Cho's dismay, Marietta was not at her office. It seemed Marietta had been sent out on a mission of some sort. Cho spent the next few hours doing paperwork in her office. Nothing happened, nothing that is, until Cho heard a gentle knocking on her already open door.

Cho smiled and looked up, expecting to see Marietta. The person at the door, however, was not Marietta, instead it was the last person Cho wanted to see. His name was Raymond Lance, a wizard many would describe as dashing and handsome. Unfortunately for him, Cho Chang was not one of those many people. In fact, Cho thought he was a rather snobbish pretty boy who doesn't know when to give up.

For you see, he had taken a liking to Cho, and often made advances on her. Cho politely shot him down each and every time, but as long as she remained single, it seemed, he would not give up. Most unfortunate for Cho, he wasn't the only one either. There were about a half dozen others, but they were less aggressive and slightly more tolerable. Marietta often told Cho to just pick one and settle down, but Cho had refused to do so. Ever since Cedric Diggory, Michael Corner had been her longest lasting boyfriend, and even he only lasted a few months. Cho had decided that, at this stage in her life, she didn't really need a boyfriend.

"Happy to see me, are you?" He happily remarked, mistaking Cho's smile for him.

"I thought you were Marietta…" Cho sounded slightly sympathetic, which, perhaps, wasn't the best thing to do.

"Oh okay… Well I'm glad to see you back, haven't seen you for weeks." He was smiling, and somehow it reminded Cho of the blonde man from the forest. Only this smile was much more obnoxious, and much less charming.

"It's only been a week… and shouldn't you be in your office, in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Mr. Lance?" Again, Cho tried to sound unfriendly, but failed miserably. Marietta had told her that calling someone by their last name would help create a sense of hostility. Judging from the smile on his face, however, this did not work.

"Mr. Lance, eh? I like the sound of that… Although, Mrs. Lance has a nicer ring to it..." He gave Cho a look as he emphasized the words '_Mrs. Lance_'. Cho rolled her eyes as he quickly continued, "And Amos took a sick day today, so nobody's over there to make sure I don't run off to talk to you." He spoke as though Cho wanted him to come talk to her.

Amos Diggory was the head of Lance's department, and he was also the father of the late Cedric Diggory. He was hardly ever absent from his post… Cho found it peculiar that he had taken a sick day.

"Is he alright?" Cho had completely forgotten about trying to make Raymond feel unwelcomed in her office.

"Oh yeah, no need to worry… He said he had to go take care of something. Didn't really want to talk about it, so I didn't really ask h-" He stopped talking when he saw that Cho had jumped up and grabbed a calendar off one of her shelves. Upon seeing what the date was, Cho smacked herself on the forehead.

"What's wrong?" He sounded genuinely worried.

"Nothing. Go away, I have something to take care of." Raymond wanted to stay, realizing something had to have been seriously wrong for Cho to act so rude, but he decided against it, not wanting to get on Cho's bad side. He left quickly, still wondering what had upset her.

_How could I forget? I'm so sorry Cedric… _

It was June 24th, the day of Cedric Diggory's death. Cho had made it a habit to go visit him on this day every year. Usually when she arrived at the graveyard Mr. and Mrs. Diggory would already be there, and she'd stand from afar, waiting for them to disapparate home.

Cho sat in her office sulking and feeling extremely guilty at the same time. It was quite foolish of her, really. She had almost forgotten but in the end she still remembered. It's not like she would visit him until she got off work anyways… Still Cho felt as if she had somehow betrayed Cedric for not remembering sooner. On the day of his death, Cho had spent her time chasing a criminal, talking to a handsome stranger, worrying about Ginny Weasley, and worst of all, get hit on by a co-worker.

Cho decided that the only way to make up for it was to come to his grave early today. Before she had realized it, she had already gotten what she needed, asked her boss to leave early, and apparated to the graveyard where Cedric was buried.

Cho was surprised to find that she was the only one in the graveyard. It was only five, and usually, when she arrived at six, Cedric's parents would still be there. Perhaps they got sick, Cho told herself. She quickly dismissed her concern for the missing Diggorys as she walked up to Cedric's grave.

It was nothing short of beautiful. The Ministry had gone all out when they built it. After all, they had blamed themselves, not Voldemort, for Cedric's death. It was in the shape of an arc, around four feet long and three feet high, made of dull grey marble, which, unintentionally, matched Cedric's eyes. In the middle was a picture of Cedric in his Quidditch uniform, a golden snitch clutched in his left hand, and a broomstick in the other. Below it laid his name, and a little description of Cedric, as it were with all tombstones.

Before Cho could once again read it to herself, she heard a popping noise behind her. Certain Auror instincts took over Cho, causing her to spin around and wordlessly cast a stunning spell.

"You almost got me!" It was Marietta. Luckily, she had ducked just before the stunning spell hit her. "At least look before you attempt to stun someone."

"Sorry… Auror instincts…" Cho tried to sound apologetic while scratching her head. "How'd you know I'd be here anyways?"

"Eh, got back to the office, heard you left early… checked my calendar. It wasn't hard." At that moment, Marietta noticed something different about her friend's eyes. "You look off, what's wrong?"

"It's not that I look off… It's just that everything's been off, and its making me feel off, so I look off… do you get what I'm saying?" Cho tried to explain in a very quickly in a very confusing way.

"Well… not really. But…basically things are not as they should be?" Marietta was perhaps the only one in the world who could've gathered that much from Cho's garbled explanation.

"Yeah! Okay first of all, I spent a whole week trying to catch that guy who tried to rob Gringotts, and then out of nowhere in the forest comes this blonde guy who- What?" Marietta had given Cho a look of suspicion.

"The blonde guy was cute, wasn't he? You half smiled when you mentioned him." Marietta herself was smiling because she knew she was right.

"Okay fine he was, but that's beside the point… So anyways, the blonde guy stuns the guy I'm trying to catch. I start asking who he is, and he seems to know me, except I don't think I ever knew any cute blonde guys. Before I find out who he is, he apparates… or disapparates, I don't know…" Cho hadn't let on the fact that the blonde man not only knew her, but he also seemed to know her personality…

"Probably someone from Hogwarts, or maybe someone you've met while working for the Ministry. I mean we constantly run around trying to find criminals, he could've been some guy you asked for a clue or something." Marietta thought this would be the end of that discussion, but Cho wasn't letting it go.

"But…"

"Look, you're probably never gonna see him again, so why are you stressing out over this?" This time, Marietta had done it.

"Okay fine…" Cho sort of wanted to go on discussing the blonde man, but it didn't look like they were getting anywhere with finding out his identity anyways.

"So you said things were off… What else besides that guy?"

"Nothing much… It's just, I didn't realize what today was until a little while ago." Cho looked down at her feet.

"Cho… It's been ages, and you still come here every year… It's okay if you forget until the last second." Marietta was trying to comfort Cho, as she always would.

"Yeah, I know…" Cho looked up and decided that it was time to change the subject, "So where have you been?"

"Well, I've been on the trail of this Metamorphagus who has been smuggling dangerous Dark Arts artifacts… You can imagine how easy it was to catch someone who can change his appearance at will, of course…" Marietta sarcastically said, "Luckily for me, he wasn't very good at it. I mean, the guy couldn't even change his eye colors yet."

"I thought being a Metamorphagus meant you can change every aspect of your appearance?" Something triggered in the back of Cho's mind, but she quickly dismissed it as Marietta continued with her tale.

"Yeah, but eyes are the most difficult things to change. How it works is that you imagine the thing you want to change changing, but how often do you see your eyes? I mean most people don't even know if their eyes are black or brown, so it's not very easy to imagine it change, if you don't know what it looks like in the first place."

"So, how did you catch him then?"

"Luckily for me, I ran into Mad-Eye Moody, and he taught me a spell that would force a Metamorphagus back into his or her original form. Think he said he learnt it from Tonks… So I rounded up a couple of suspicious looking guys with bright blue eyes, and that was it." Marietta looked like she was very proud of herself.

"Good job." Cho smiled before continuing, "Just curious, what's the spell?" She had a feeling it would be rather useful, despite the fact that Metamorphagi were very rare.

"The incantation is '_aperio_'. So what about the Gringotts g-" Marietta never got to finish her question. Both Aurors quickly spun around, wands raised, after hearing a cracking noise behind them.

A house elf had apparated behind them. Marietta, who had a house elf of her own, could see that this one was rather old. He looked around, terrified, and before anyone could say anything, he disapparated with a sound like the crack of a whip.

"What was that all about?" Before Marietta could answer Cho, both Aurors felt a warm feeling on their left hands. Their Auror Signets were glowing. Cho and Marietta looked at each other. Cho had a quizzical look, while Marietta's was full of fear.

It's not hard to see why they feel that way. The Ministry would hardly call on more than one Auror at a time, much less Aurors who had left early. Something was wrong, seriously wrong.

Without wasting any more time, they apparated into Remus Lupin's office. Despite the discrimination towards werewolves, Arthur Weasley still decided the give the position of Head Auror to Lupin. He was a capable man at leading, and his experience speaks for itself. His office was nothing more than a bright large room with papers stacked all around. Cho looked around and saw that in addition to herself, and Marietta, Ron, Ginny, and Neville had just apparated in.

"Amos Diggory is missing." Lupin wasted no time before explaining why they had been summoned. The Aurors understood that they were simply to listen, for any second that they waste could result in the mission's failure. "They were visiting their son's grave when his wife fell ill, so they returned home. Mrs.Diggory forgot her purse, so Amos went back to retrieve it. Or at least we think he did… He didn't return home. Their house elf was sent there to look for him but he was gone. We've tracked him down to the Yuhtunga Rainforest in Africa." Lupin conjured a map and pointed out where it was. It was the same forest where Cho had met the blonde man.

"You five will go in and split off into two teams." It was apparent why Lupin had chosen the five of them for this mission. Ron, Ginny, and Neville made a strong team, and they had been in the forest before. Cho and Marietta worked extremely well together, and Cho knew the terrain there well. "Any questions?"

"When I was there before, there was a blonde man… He saw through my invisibility cloak." It wasn't a question, but Cho still had to tell Lupin. This kind of information was vital to the mission. Despite the fact that Cho sort of trusted him, any stranger had to be regarded as an enemy right now.

"It takes a powerful wizard to be able to do that… He'd probably be able to detect presence of others in the forest. Very well, Cho, Ron, Ginny, you three go in. Ron, you're the team leader for this mission. Marietta and Neville will stay here as backup." Lupin made a wise decision, the five of them traveling together in a thickly wooded forest would be a foolish thing to do. Splitting up into two teams would make their presence more likely to detect. Lupin opted to send the strongest three in as one team.

"Let's go." Ron's tone was clear, it was not a suggestion, it was an order. He apparated, leaving Cho and Ginny there to look at one another. Ginny smiled the same smile Cho would use on Lance, a fake one. She looked as though she would rather eat a hippogryph than run through the forest with Cho. Cho returned a similar smile before apparating.

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A.N. : This chapter was really only the set-up for chapter three. The not-so-mysterious blonde stranger returns in the next action-packed chapter. I'm not making any promises, but it should be longer and will probably be out by Friday.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. : An almost completely revised version of chapter three. I realized that I had spent too much timeon rather useless character development instead of the plot. So, here goes, my second try at this.

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Cho Apparated in to find a Stunning Spell flying straight at her. If it were not for her years of experience as an Auror, she would not have been able to duck just in time. Cho looked around.

Ron was dueling with a tall black man, the Stunning Spell that nearly hit Cho had been meant for him. Amos Diggory was nowhere to be seen.

"Go!" Ron shouted at the other two.

To split up a team was a very dangerous thing to do, but the rescue of Amos Diggory was seemed more vital than their safety right now. If whoever took him was able to detect Ron's presence in the forest within a matter of seconds, then Amos Diggory must be very important to his captors. He must have vital information about the Ministry, Cho realized.

Every second mattered to them now, because if whatever information he has is taken, the Ministry could be in a lot of trouble. After all, Amos Diggory has been working there for many years now, so it would not be hard for him to tell them exactly where everything was within the Ministry.

Cho contemplated getting backup, but infiltration was much easier when you have a small amount of people. It looked like she and Ginny would have to put aside their feelings of uneasiness aside and put their minds on this mission.

Ginny looked at Cho, and ran to the left of the forest. Cho followed, and soon saw why Ginny had chosen that direction. There was smoke fuming above the trees about a half mile away.

"If we run into more than two of them at a time, call for backup." Ginny's suggestion sounded awfully like an order, but still, Cho simply nodded.

They continued running through the forest at top speed, until, quite suddenly, Ginny stopped and held out her hand, signaling for Cho to do the same. Cho looked straight ahead and saw two men who appeared to be guards, playing what was unmistakably, Exploding Snap. They wore green robes, no doubt, in an attempt to camouflage with the trees.

Cho looked at Ginny and pointed at her ear. Ginny understood, and nodded in agreement. It was best to spy of them for a bit first, learning what they knew, and making sure no others were around to come to their rescue.

"Awww man I lost again! I don't want to play anymore, let's go help Don find the intruders." The stubbier looking guard said to the scrawny looking one.

"He's probably already found them by now. Hell, if I know Don, and I think I do, he's probably already done taking care of them and on his way back right now. Let's play again!"

The stubby-looking guard never got a chance to refuse, as Ginny immediately cast a Full Body Bind on him. Before the other one even got a chance to grab his wand, Cho had already stunned him.

There was no further use from either of these men. They had learnt that Don, clearly the man who had been dueling Ron, was rather formidable. It was best to quickly find Amos and come back for Ron as soon as possible.

It was not long before they ran into another pair of guards. They had been on constant vigilance and easily heard the Aurors' approaching footsteps.

"STUPEFY!" Both guards opted to use the same spell against the girls.

Cho deflected the Stunning Spell aimed at her, with another Stunning Spell of her own, while Ginny jumped to the side and nearly fell on the ground.

One guard suddenly jumped behind the other and pointed his wand towards the sky. Cho understood, he was going to cast a spell to notify more guards.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny had aimed her spell directly at his hand, and his wand dropped on the ground.

Cho looked at the guard in front, and saw that he was contemplating his only two options at the moment. Fight, or attempt to call for backup. He foolishly decided that these two women were no match for him, and sent a Stunning Spell straight at Cho. In the time in took Cho to dodge it, Ginny had already stunned him.

The remaining wandless guard dove at the ground for his wand. Unfortunately for him, his wand proved useless, considering Cho stunned him the second he picked it up.

Once again, Ginny and Cho began running towards the source of the smoke. It was a while before Ginny suddenly stopped and simply stared ahead. Cho looked over her shoulder and saw what had surprised her. On the ground before them, laid two unconscious guards.

It could not have been Ron's doing, as there was no way he could've gotten there before they did. Cho ran over the possibilities in her mind. The only thing that made the sense was that it was a trap.

"It's a trap." Ginny had come to the same conclusion as Cho.

"I know, but the problem is… What do we do now?" Cho asked.

The obvious answer was to find another way through, but they didn't have time. The sun was beginning to set; they had to find Amos Diggory before nightfall. The Aurors knew that it would be most disadvantageous to them to fight in the dark, especially in an unfamiliar environment.

"What if it's not a trap?" Ginny replied.

Cho thought Ginny was joking at first, but her facial expressions said otherwise. Cho carefully studied the scene before them. Two guards were on the ground, clearly stunned, with wands still clutched in their hands. The trees around them looked burnt and scarred, as if misfired spells had hit them. If it was a trap, it was a very cleverly made one.

"I guess there's only one way to find out…" Cho stepped forward, and nothing happened.

Ginny, seeing this, came up too. They slowly made their way towards the guards. Cho kicked one, but still, he did not move. Ginny looked at her, shrugged, and began to run towards the smoke again. Cho followed her, still trying to figure out who had stunned those guards. A thought cross her mind but she quickly dismissed it… _He's clearly working with, not against them. That's probably why he wanted me to leave this morning._

After less than five minutes, the girls found two more guards who were passed out. This time, they decided that it was best to simply run through and not waste any more time. They were closing in on the smoke now, it was only a matter of time before they got there.

Cho wondered whether or not Ron had defeated Don by now. True, the guards held high regard for him, but then again, the guards were so easily defeated. Besides, Ron was an experienced Auror, and even if he was losing, he would know to escape and call for backup.

This was not their only problem it seemed. These criminals were well organized and had many lackeys. True, none of them proved competent, but there is still always power in numbers. If there were a great number of guards protecting Amos, it would be rather difficult to rescue him, even if they did call for Marietta and Neville.

The girls began to walk slowly, as the smoke was only about thirty feet away now. Soon, they saw a clearing before them. Hiding behind the trees, Cho was able to survey the area.

It was a big clearing, all dirt, for about twenty feet in front of them. In the middle was a fire, with three cloaked figures standing around it. Between them was a huge cauldron with boiling liquids, Amos Diggory, magicked right above it. It seems they were threatening to drop him in if he didn't tell them what they wanted.

Cho and Ginny would've rushed in right away, if it were not for the fifteen or so guards standing behind the three cloaked figures. While the two Aurors were still deciding what to do, one of the cloaked figures spoke.

"Nothing is going to stop us from bringing him back. Breaking you down will only be a matter of time." He motioned for a guard to come forward and hand him a small vial. "We had hoped it would not come down to this…"

"What are you going to do?" Amos asked, with a flicker of fear in his eyes.

"This cauldron… Have you not been wondering what was in it? It's Veritaserum. We did not realize that it would take so long to heat up again after moving it here… No matter, it is ready for the final ingredient." He poured the contents of the vial in.

"This is the ultimate form of Veritaserum. Freshly brewed, and we will submerge you in it. You may die, but not before revealing to us what we need to know." Another cloaked figure said.

Cho had read about this before. There are many ways to fight off the Veritaserum, so it proved ineffective for criminal trials. A wizard in the 1400s had tried to invent a Veritaserum that was flawless. In the end, he figured out that if you were whole body was dipped in boiling Veritaserum, it would be impossible to fight its powerful effects. It was a rather useless discovery, considering most would die immediately after revealing whether or not they had committed a crime.

"I already told you! I don't know anything about the veil! I don't work in the Department of Mystery!"

"You are lying. Our sources have informed us that you have been sending creatures beyond the veil. If you enter the veil by going through it, then you still have a body. With a body and a soul, nobody is dead."

"So what? None of them have been able to come back. It was a failed experiment. Arthur wanted to bring Harry back, but we failed!" Amos was sweating more than ever now.

Ginny started to look quite annoyed. It was clear that she did not know of this experiment.

"You may be lying, you may not be. Only this will tell us. " He pulled out his wand.

Cho and Ginny, too, pulled out their wands, prepared to rush in, when, suddenly, they heard a pop.

The blonde man had Apparated right in front of the hooded figures. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the cauldron, which immediately exploded, spilling it's contents.

Although she could not see their faces, Cho was sure the cloaked men were livid now. It took ages to make Veritaserum, and in a matter of seconds, the blonde man had destroyed it all.

"AVADA KEDRAVA!" All three of them cast the killing curse on the blonde man.

The blonde man's reflexes were too quick for them, as he rolled to the side.

"DORMIATIS!" A flurry of darts flew out of the blonde man's wand, and littered the bodies of the cloaked figures, who all fell over unconscious.

The guards looked at one another, at the stranger who seemingly killed their masters, and quickly Disapparated.

Cho and Ginny stared at one another, unsure of what to do. What they had just witness, seemed surreal. One man had just taken out three others with one spell, and then scared off another fifteen. They were half impressed, half afraid.

The blonde man walked out to Amos Diggory, who had fallen unconscious after falling to the ground. A Levitation Charm only works as long as the caster remains concentrated. When the cloaked men were struck by the blonde man's spell, the Levitation Charm was broken, and Amos fell.

"You can come out now." It was clear that he was speaking to Ginny and Cho.

This time, Cho looked at Ginny, shrugged, and walked on over. Ginny, although reluctant, followed her.

"Who are you?" Cho knew he wouldn't answer, but it was worth a shot.

"Didn't I just go over this with you in the morning? I'm not answering that… You better take him to St. Mungo's." He pointed at Amos.

"Why are you helping us? What were those men doing here?" This time, it was Ginny who had asked the questions.

"Why don't you ask them?" He was looking at the cloaked men.

"They're dead… Aren't they?" Cho walked over and checked their pulses. They were still alive.

Cho was about to relay this information to Ginny, when she heavy footsteps running towards them. All three of them raised their wands. The blonde man stared in the direction the footsteps were coming from, and once again Cho looked into his rather familiar green eyes. She was quite sure she had seen them before, a very long time ago, but no… that was impossible.

"Oh good, you guys are okay." It was Ron, he had just come into the clearing, with Don's unconscious body floating behind him. "Who's this?" He was looked at the blonde man.

"Someone's whose about to leave…" He was looking at Ron, and Cho could've sworn she saw him crack a smile before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"You're not going anywhere." Ron raised his wand and pointed it at him. "You're coming back with us."

"Ron he helped us…"

Cho knew quite well that it was procedure to take the blonde man back. Even though he helped them, they were supposed to regard him as a suspect. Still, Cho felt that he could be trusted.

"It doesn't matter." Ginny, too, raised her wand, completely forgetting her earlier fear of him.

"You are all trespassing on my forest. It is not your place to tell me to go anywhere. Leave." He spoke with his back still turned to them,

Before anyone could say another word, Ginny sent a stunning spell at him. He turned around, but then, he simply stood there. The spell looked like it was about to hit, but it suddenly stopped in midair and disappeared. The Aurors understood that he must have cast a shield charm at the last second. It was however, not normal for a shield charm to be able to stop a stunning spell. Shield charms were designed to block or deflect minor curses or hexes, but stunning spells were quite powerful.

"You're wasting your time. You can't beat me." He did not look like he was going to curse them.

This did not stop Ron and Ginny from sending two curses straight at him. He almost looked pained, as he simply moved to the left and ducked his head, successfully dodging both spells. The Weasleys wasted no time in continuing to send spell after spell at the blonde man. He either dodged or deflected each and every one.

"I am not your enemy here, can't you see that?"

The attacks continued relentlessly. Ginny and Ron seemed convinced that they had to capture him. Cho understood their reason. He was a stranger who seemingly aided them, yet he was in a hurry to leave. That alone, was enough to be suspicious of him. Furthermore, he seemed eager to keep people away from 'his forest', indicating that he may be hiding something here.

This was the way of the Auror, Cho soon remembered. Attack first, ask questions later. Those who had failed to obey these rules paid for it with their lives. Yet here she was, Cho Chang, one of the best Aurors at the Ministry, and she simply stood there watching her teammates do battle.

Cho realized that she had to help them, and sent a stunning spell straight at him right after he had deflected Ginny's spell. Unfortunately, he jumped to the side just in time. It was clear that with all three of them attacking, he would soon be subdued. Cho joined the others in sending volley after volley of spells at him.

Still, he did not fight back. Underestimating an enemy was a grave mistake, a lesson Cho had learnt in her years as an Auror. Even when pursuing under aged wizards, Cho was taught to fight as if you knew your enemy was stronger than you were.

Cho looked over at her teammates. Ron was fighting conservatively, and Cho understood that he was waiting for the enemy to start retaliating. Ginny had been doing the same, but it looked like her patience was beginning to wear thin.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Ginny shouted.

It was not a spell Cho had heard of before… The blonde man stared wide-eyed at Ginny, and ducked at the last second. Ron's recently cast stunning spell, however, hit him squarely in the chest.


End file.
